For Thanksgiving, Salvation Army sets up rolling kitchen on tornado-ravaged site

Salvation Army volunteers Tim Steere, left, and Carsuela Wilson serve boxed meals. The Tuscaloosa branch of the Salvation Army had its mobile kitchen at the site of its former building, which was destroyed in the April 27, 2011, tornado.

Staff photo | Dusty Compton

By Mark Hughes CobbStaff Writer | The Tuscaloosa News

Published: Friday, November 29, 2013 at 3:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, November 28, 2013 at 10:21 p.m.

It was a drive-through Thanksgiving for many, from the Salvation Army setting up its new rolling kitchen on the locale of its headquarters in Rosedale, blown away by the April 27, 2011, storms, all the way downtown to Chuck’s Fish, where the fourth annual Charity Thanksgiving Feast served food both to dine in and to go.

Capts. Dean and Pamela Moretz of the Salvation Army said they’d run out of turkey by 12:20 p.m., though volunteers were headed out for more, as cars continued to pull up on the Greensboro Avenue property.

The group is working to raise the projected $5 million needed to rebuild an 80-bed shelter on the property. Also destroyed in the storm was the Army’s rolling kitchen; it was replaced by a brand-new cooking truck in May, which rolls out for disasters and for events such as this, with two convection ovens and a full range stove in shiny stainless steel.

Two volunteers worked finishing and doling out meals from the truck’s window Thursday. Others of the 40 volunteers who showed up handed out drinks and oranges for dessert, or packed and help carry meals to cars.

“We want the community to know we’re still here,” Pamela Moretz said. “The service has never ended. Just because we don’t have a building, it doesn’t mean we’re not still here.”

When the Salvation Army had its shelter, it offered regular meal services. Thanksgiving will be just one of its infrequent events until the building returns.

While many of the Salvation Army’s patrons walked in from nearby, people from all around the area stopped in to Chuck’s Fish, which at just halfway through its scheduled hours had topped last year’s high of 415 meals served. A total of 438 had been served turkey, ham, green beans, mashed potatoes, dressing and pecan pie just before 1 p.m., with about 250 people taking sandwiches to go from the American Lunch truck outside. American Lunch is a Chuck’s offshoot that provides free lunches three days of the week in various parts of the community.

Everything was served up free, but buckets were set out to accept donations for Project Blessings, which helps repair homes of people in need. Some regular Chuck’s employees, including chefs and management, were on hand, supplemented by dozens of volunteers bussing, serving and preparing plates for the patrons. No mention of money was made, but guests frequently stopped by the donation spots with a check or cash.

“You’ll see a 3-year-old in her best dress, from a family that’s underserved, put a dollar’s worth of change in, then you’ll see somebody put in three crisp hundred-dollar bills, with no expectation of writing it off on taxes,” said Kellee Reinhart, vice chancellor for systems relations at the University of Alabama, who volunteers at the annual feast.

It works on multiple levels, she said: For one, it gives families who might not otherwise be able to bring a large group to the fine-dining establishment a terrific meal out. For another, it offers those in a better financial situation the chance to give back to the community while enjoying a meal and not having to do the dishes afterward.

Liz Abradovich, co-owner of Holiday Inn Express, had a crowd of 18 in town for Thanksgiving and decided Chuck’s was the place to get everyone fed.

“Instead of being all worn out in the afternoon, having to spend hours cleaning up and then feeling like nothing but a nap, all of us get to eat together and see other folks in the community,” she said. Her donation was well worth not having to spend days in the kitchen, she said. “It makes it so much easier, so you can spend more time with family.”

Chuck’s owner Charles Morgan has done similar events at his other restaurants, including Harbor Docks in Destin, Fla., where the charity Thanksgiving feast has been going on for more than two decades. Managing partner of Chuck’s Fish, Cris Eddings, said he expected to serve between 500 and 600 people by the time the day was done.

“We want it to grow every year, and we’re well on the way today,” he said.

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